The invention relates to a molded plastic container and, more particularly, to such a container with a hinge pin lock and a molded plastic lid with integrated plastic hinge pins.
Molded plastic containers come in various designs. The materials are inexpensive and durable and are used worldwide for shipping and storage applications. In a current design, a container includes a lid that is secured using metal hinge pins. Metal pins advantageously provide a strong connection of the lid to the container, and assembly of the container can be automated. The metal hinge pins also provide very good tamper resistance. These features are important for industrial applications. The metal hinge pins, however, have some negative attributes as they add cost, are more difficult to recycle, are more difficult to assemble, and can even cause injuries.
It would be desirable to provide a container that can maintain the advantages of the metal pins while using an integrated plastic hinge. Generally, plastic hinge lids and integrated hinge pins can be attached to a container with simple snap-in hinges. These constructions, however, do not provide sufficient rigidity and tamper resistance and typically have been used for less demanding applications.